How hard is nursing school for the student who is average or below at math & science?

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I am average or below average at math and science. I recently stopped completing my nursing prerequisite courses because I did not do well in anatomy and physiology. I have to try really, really hard and work really hard at math and science. How hard is nursing school for a student that is not gifted at math and science? It seems that all nursing schools are hyper-competitive anyways, and straight A's are required in all classes...

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Science and Math are what nursing is all about! I sugget taking all the lower level science and math courses you can find to build up your base knowledge then continnue to work up the levels. It may take a long time but if nursing is what you want to do then that may be the way to do it.

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Specializes in LDRP.

if you can get through your prereqs fine you will probably be okay. the only math you use is a couple of basic calculations-- nothing compared to algebra or statistics really.. and if you can get through A&P with decent grades, you should be fine..

i dont know how competitive the schools your interested in are, but i got into my program with:

Biology: B-

A&P1: B

A&P2: C+

Micro: B+

i had all As in math, but we only had to take algebra and a class called foundations that was 10x easier than algebra.

anyway, those were my grades, not the best, but I am halfway through my nursing program and not having any problems.. good luck!

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Frankly, nursing math is very easy. There are many ways to do the calculations; you simply have to find the way that works best for you, or that's easiest for you to remember, and stick with that.

The science, on the other hand, is challenging and is essential to understanding and applying basic concepts of nursing. If you are struggling to pass your pre-reqs you will probably find nursing school difficult also. Good luck...if nursing is your dream, hang in there and remember hard work pays off!

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Specializes in Infusion.

I agree with starting with the basics of biology. At my comm college, there is a cell biology class that everybody has to take before starting the A&P classes. It includes a little bit of chemistry. The class is straightforward and tends to weed out those that aren't interested in moving forward and prepares the ones who are interested in moving on. I have a friend who had to take remedial math and work her way up to the algebra that our college requires. You need to be great and be in love with science but it's a lot easier to be engaged when you understand what the instructor is talking about. Start from square one and ace those classes.

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Don't be discouraged!!!!

A&P classes can be easy or hard. Totally depends on your instructor. I'm not saying try to find the easiest class and skate. I'm saying you need to find one that is not expecting you to have the knowledge before you even walk in the door.

I admit I am horrible at math. I went back and completed remedial math..ALL of them before I got to college level algebra. and I've dropped that class 4 ..yes FOUR times. I suck at it.

but the math for nurses is super easy. I'm not lying. Of course I didn't get it the way my instructor explained so I had someone really good at math in my class sit down and teach me. I basically watched her do it over and over and then put it in MY OWN WORDS what she was doing...so I figured it out.

When someone tries to explain it to me i get confused so it was better for me to do the talking while she did the work. THEN I could do it.

I practice even now a lot so I don't forget.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.

well, sciences you should be strong in.

i will tell you right now, im am HORRIBLE at math..like im an idiot when it comes to math related anything.

however..with the nursing math that we do, it just clicks..and on all my calc exams i get 100%! so, there is hope, you just need to want it :)

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don't worry about anything...if nursing is what you really want to do, go for it!

when i started my pre-reqs, my advisor was advising me against going into nursing because I had got a "C" in biology and she didn't think I could make it through chem, microbio and A+P. I did fine and now I am in my last year of nursing school with all A's so far. I really stink at math, but like others said, the nursing math is easy...it's really a few conversions and basic math you use everyday. Just study, study, study and you will be okay. Good luck!!

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If you are passionate about nursing anything is possible. I am horrible at math but great in the sciences. We have to take a calculations test and pass with a 100%. You have 5 tries and 6 weeks to complete it. I passed it on my 2nd try. I was so worried about the math test I used every resource I had available to me to pass and learn the few formulas we needed to know.

As far as the science portion, you need to know science especially A & P and Pathophysiology. You need this in order to understand diagnoses, common terms like polyuria and dysphasia and you need to know what is on tests such as the NCLEX style question exams you get in nursing school. It is prudent to know the science portion.

With extra help and patience anything is possible, you can do it! Good luck!

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I just got my acceptance letter and I also suck at math but the comments really in truly has helped, I love this site

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Stop telling yourself you are average and most importantly BELOW AVERAGE! :no: That attitude right there is going to stop you from reaching your goals! As a former teacher, I would tell my kids, "We cannot live life comparing ourselves to everyone else! I can compare myself to the old me and the new me" Once you stop doing that, you can truly focus on you. Something has made you consider nursing. Math and science are apart of nursing, but you also need to be able to communicate, show empathy, have common sense and have patience with others. If nursing is what you truly want then don't give up...you will regret it. You don't want to live life and have regrets. Just do the best you can do and see where it gets you. If you have to retake a course then so be it! We all learn from our miscues. And not everyone makes straight A's in pre-nursing or nursing courses! You can have straight "average" grades and pass! The reason so many people are competitive is because a) they are paying for their own education b) they really want to be a nurse c) ocd with grades d) answers a and b or e) all the above. LOL

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Specializes in Hospice.

If this is the "We suck at Math club" sign me up! I have had trouble w/ both math and the sciences all my life in school. Still, once my kids were grown I decided it's my time now, and I shall be a nurse. So in 2010 I bit the bullet and started on classes to get ready. I finally got in the RN program on my third try. What I find with "Nursing math" i.e., dosage and calculations, is that the ratio:proportion method works best for me. However our program head wants us all trained on dimensional analysis, so I will be studying that a little this summer before the RN program starts in August. As far as many of the math problems, they are just formulas, like figuring drop (gtt) factors, IV flow rates, etc. As for sciences, I finally started "getting" it. I am an English/Art person so it takes a little extra time for it all to sink in but you can do it!

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